There was no way it could just be an illusion.
Natsume-san was absolutely certain of that peculiar sensation.
That unique perception, magnifying everything countless times beyond the resolution of the naked eye—once you experienced it, you could never forget it.
Even if her own soul hadn't provided the answers she sought, Natsume-san wasn't discouraged.
She wasn't the type to fret over gains and losses. If something was there, it was there; if not, then not. She just had to keep trying.
Shifting into a more comfortable position, Natsume Sonoko stretched and sank into a deep sleep.
Though her mind was often busy, Natsume-san rarely dreamed. This time, however, seemed to be an exception.
In her hazy state, she seemed to dream of entering that micro-perception state and then, with a flick, conjuring a fireball hundreds of thousands of degrees hot, burning a giant hole right through the atmosphere.
Fireballs flew wildly, scorching temperatures ran rampant, and no one could defeat her.
An unwitting, smug smile crept onto her sleeping face. Despite her usual earnest appearance, Natsume-san actually thought quite highly of herself.
This was probably a common affliction among espers—that warped, overconfident personality sparked by rising power levels.
After the dream ended, life went on. The first order of business was to open her eyes.
It was Saturday. Three days until the Daihaseisai, six days until the scholarship stipend arrived.
Natsume-san's bank card still had over a hundred thousand yen left. As long as she didn't buy any big-ticket items, it was more than enough to get by.
The days of being Tokiwadai's impoverished girl were long gone.
Having, in a way, saved the space elevator and the surrounding area, the esper girl sat up from the sofa, facing yet another new day.
Skillfully freezing her alarm clock into an ice sculpture, she listlessly drooped her head, floating in the air like a willow catkin. A certain bun-haired girl was secretly using her ability again inside the dorm.
Once you get used to convenient things, it's hard for humans to stop using them. Call it human nature, perhaps.
Being a typical human, Natsume-san's skills in cutting corners had grown remarkably proficient.
Logically, it was Saturday. The normal procedure should be to wait for the Dorm Supervisor to finish room checks, then close the door and catch some extra sleep.
But, unusually, Natsume-san didn't complain. Instead, she got ready to brush her teeth and wash her face, seeming particularly concerned about that desk of hers.
Her feet touched the floor again.
The air currents around Natsume-san dissipated. Lifting her somewhat limp arm, she stared blankly at the disheveled, messy-haired figure in the mirror.
She gently rubbed her eyes, tidied her appearance properly in front of the mirror, then turned on the faucet to brush her teeth.
After spitting out the toothpaste, she reached for the glass organizer next to the mirror to grab her hair tie, but couldn't find it no matter how she felt around.
"Huh?"
The thick fog of drowsiness enveloping her brain instantly vanished. Natsume Sonoko blinked, realizing something was off.
The hair tie's gone. Did I leave it somewhere yesterday?
Frowning slightly, Natsume-san realized she seemed to be out of spare hair ties too. Looks like she'd have to buy some today.
Her straight, black hair fell all the way down to her shoulders.
It seemed to be blocking her view. A pale little hand instinctively gathered the long locks and tucked them behind her ears.
Without a hair tie, a bun was out of the question. So today's hairstyle was long, loose hair. Today's life was already off to a problematic start.
Feeling the faint, tingling sensation near her ears, Natsume-san even slowed her pace. She really wasn't used to this change in hairstyle.
"I thought I recognized someone from afar, and it is Natsume-san. Is today's hairstyle an imitation of Onee-sama, I wonder?"
The sound of wheelchair wheels rolling approached from the direction of Tokiwadai's cafeteria. An uninvited guest spoke up, her tone somewhat peculiar.
Pushing the wheelchair from behind was Misaka-senpai.
Misaka-senpai sported a boyishly short and neat haircut, though lately she hadn't visited Tokiwadai's designated salon, so it had grown out a bit.
Natsume-san's hair reached her shoulders, and with her low bangs almost covering her eyebrows, it was a completely different style.
"Good morning. Don't listen to Kuroko's nonsense."
Misaka-senpai awkwardly pinched Shirai Kuroko's shoulder. Her kouhai always loved saying these strange things.
But it was hard to ignore. Natsume-san had really changed her hairstyle. It felt a bit... unsettling.
"Good morning to you too, Misaka-senpai."
Natsume Sonoko smiled and greeted her. She wasn't the type to nitpick every little thing; she usually just ignored the ramblings of a certain Teleporter.
"By the way, Banri and Haruue are both coming to help at the branch today. Haruue said she's even bringing cake she made herself."
Misaka-senpai, still pushing Shirai-san, prepared to leave but turned back to add this for Natsume-san.
"Eh, Haruue-san and the others are coming too?"
Natsume-san let out a soft 'eh,' a hint of happiness appearing on her face.
--+--
Arriving at Judgment Branch 177.
Just standing on the road not far away, one could immediately see the conspicuous large hole in the back wall of Judgment Branch 177.
Natsume-san maintained her composure as usual, the corners of her mouth lifted at a forty-five-degree angle, as if to prevent anyone from realizing she was the one who made all these holes.
A truck loaded with construction materials was parked by the roadside. Buckets of paint were neatly stacked on the ground, alongside replacement electrical wires and internal piping, piles of brand-new bricks, and marble flooring...
The quantity of materials far exceeded what the Judgment branch actually needed, as they also had to fix various issues in the second-floor hallway.
The compensation provided by Miss Kanzaki and the others had covered these losses too.
Besides these materials, common construction tools were also visible.
As the pile of building materials grew larger, that strong sense of uncertainty became increasingly clear.
Exchanging wide-eyed looks, and glancing over at Misaka-senpai who was busy on her phone searching 'how to build a house,' Natsume Sonoko felt the problem might be bigger than she initially thought.
It seemed Konori-senpai was truly serious. She'd even prepared the tools and materials.
Originally, Natsume-san thought it would be about painting and moving things, maybe patching up holes in the walls at most.
This was... troublesome.
Natsume-san couldn't help but pull out her own phone, joining Misaka-senpai in searching for house-building guides.
Meanwhile, Haruue-san carefully held a cake box, looking somewhat bewildered at the suddenly solemn atmosphere surrounding everyone.
"I managed to borrow these tools from a senpai who's attending architecture university. Thanks to his connections, all the materials were heavily discounted."
Wearing a paper protective cap on her head and holding a full-person-height shovel, Konori Mii-senpai clenched her empty fist tightly, appearing full of confidence.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.